Kaneria to contest "unfair" ban

Danish Kaneria has confirmed he will appeal against the lifetime ban handed down to him by the ECB on Friday.

Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, called the decision "very unfair" and also attacked the evidence given against him by the team-mate he was judged to have groomed to take part in a betting scam - Mervyn Westfield.

When the three-man ECB disciplinary panel found Kaneria guilty of corruption, Gerard Elias QC called him "a grave danger to the game of cricket" and was highly critical of his defense arguments during the case heard in London.

Kaneria insisted that he was "an honest man" and that he would fight a decision that looks certain to end his career.

"I'm very upset about this decision," he told Sky Sports News. "For what reason they have convicted me I do not know. It is a very, very unfair decision against me. I've come all the way from Pakistan to say the truth.

Kaneria rejected the finding that he was a grave danger to the game. "They don't have any proof against me. I don't know why they are saying this. I will definitely be doing an appeal. The people trust me. I'm an honest man. I've been playing cricket with passion and love. I have done nothing wrong."

Westfield, the former Essex pace bowler, who was jailed for four months in January after accepting £6000 to conceded a set number of runs in an over during the Pro40 match against Durham in 2009, gave key evidence during the hearing. That earned him some latitude with Elias when he was given a five-year ban from the game which the allowance of being able to play club cricket in three.

However, Kaneria hit back: "The person who has committed the crime, gone to prison, been telling lies to police, telling lies in court - he has told lies even in the tribunal," he said. "I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth. I've been telling the truth all the way."

As well as the appeal that Kaneria has said he will launch there is also an ongoing integrity committee hearing with the PCB which is now set to conclude following the end of the ECB case. Although the ban was only handed out by one member board, the ICC expect the sanctions against Kaneria to be accepted around the world.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said: "I will ask the Board to remind all Members to put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the sanctions imposed on both players in this case are appropriately recognised and respected outside of the ECB's domestic jurisdiction

"The need to protect the game from corruption requires every one of us, including the players, to remain vigilant and work tirelessly to that end. The increased popularity and television coverage for various domestic competitions around the world requires much more than just the ICC to be vigilant and we acknowledge the ECB's efforts in this respect."